In an era where career uncertainty is common, the ability to embrace change and explore new opportunities is more important than ever. Paul Lane, a former lorry driver at Wilko Magor, demonstrated resilience and adaptability when he transitioned from his long-time career to becoming a self-employed chimney sweeper. His journey, supported by the URTU Learning project, highlights the power of lifelong learning, diversity in skills, and the courage to embrace new endeavours at any point in your life.
Paul worked for years as a lorry driver at Wilko Magor. As part of his engagement with URTU Learning, he attended learning events and promoted the benefits of ongoing education to his fellow branch members. Through the URTU Learning project, he completed various courses that helped expand his skill set. These included informal learning on topics like stress management, hydration, and bowel cancer awareness, as well as more practical skills like improving his spelling and marketing knowledge. The marketing course was particularly influential, as Paul had been contemplating self-employment for some time and wanted to learn what it entailed.
Despite the demands of his driving job, Paul found time to complete his courses and manage his commitments. His use of distance learning allowed him to progress at his own pace, taking advantage of quiet periods at work, like when runs were cancelled.
Beyond his individual success, Paul’s efforts to promote learning at Wilko Magor had a broader impact. By working with his union to ensure that others knew about the available support, many of his coworkers were also able to access training and resources that helped them improve their skills and avoid unemployment.
After Wilko went into administration and redundancy became a reality, Paul was referred to the ReAct+ Programme, which provided additional training opportunities to help him secure employment. Paul retrained and eventually qualified as a chimney sweeper—a profession he had been considering for some time. Throughout this period, Paul and his union colleagues made a concerted effort to raise awareness about the learning opportunities available. They distributed leaflets, hosted meetings with union members, and organized a group information session with the ReAct team, ensuring that others could benefit from the same resources.
After several months of dedicated learning and training, Paul successfully retrained as a qualified chimney sweeper. He has since started his own business, demonstrating the power of lifelong learning in times of change.
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